Philosophical Speculations

Santeri ... I'm kinda partial to the term 'sorcerers' ... hopefully not too offensive for your performance artist ego

SanteriSatama wrote: ↑Fri Mar 05, 2021 1:28 am

Lou Gold wrote: ↑Thu Mar 04, 2021 5:49 pm Shamanism

There's no such thing, except in the twisted imagination of Mirca Eliade.

makes simple what Western philosophy, with it's clever minds, makes complicated. Did this feel like I missed or did I not like your answer?

Sounded like you criticized my brilliant answer as too complicated, and demanded yet again another eli5. That's hurtful and boring for my performance artist ego.

What is "eli5"?
I think we are tripping over words and I set it up by using the term Shamanism, which my Lakota friends hate for the reasons you suggest.
On the other hand, it's a much more comfortably used term in Brazil where I lived for 15 years.
What term(s) do you prefer?

Lou Gold wrote: ↑Fri Mar 05, 2021 2:31 am Sorcerer

You mean 'brujo', like Don Juan referred to himself in Castaneda's books?

What is "eli5"?

"Explain like I'm 5 years old"

I think we are tripping over words and I set it up by using the term Shamanism, which my Lakota friends hate for the reasons you suggest.

They are correct to reject terms 'shamanism' and 'shaman', because they don't apply to the distributed and decentralized institution of elders, in contrast to the the individuated Siberian institution of shamans. The original, best and most general anthropological term available is shamanhood. Elders institution is a form of shamanhood. Actually all art, science, religion, politics etc. are forms of shamanhood, as that's the origin.

On the other hand, it's a much more comfortably used term in Brazil where I lived for 15 years.

Term 'shaman' applies much better to vegetalistas, which are an individiuated social institution. And AFAIK they make also a distinction between the tamed shamans/vegetalistas and untamed brujos.

What term(s) do you prefer?

As said, shamanHOOD is a very good generic roof term for the wide variety of social forms etc.

eli5 ... acronym for 'explain like I'm five'

So was Jung doing shamanhood?

Soul_of_Shu wrote: ↑Fri Mar 05, 2021 3:01 am So was Jung doing shamanhood?

Oh yes.

I found that in South America, "healers" or "curanderos" was a good generic term, whereas "doctors" was suggested up North. No one way though.

Screw you woke language police, I'm going with witch doctors!

Soul_of_Shu wrote: ↑Fri Mar 05, 2021 3:56 am Screw you woke language police, I'm going with witch doctors!

Witch is a good word.

Which witches?